No Stopping the End When It Comes

Transcript

GR 2038
04/15/2018
No Stopping the End When It Comes
Revelation 15:1-8
Gil Rugh

We’re going to the Book of Revelation chapter 15 and we’re reminded with the chapter breaks we have that we are moving through the Book of Revelation. The book is ready to pick up with its sequential time line, moving events along. We had an interlude, really from chapters 10 through 14, where we had a break and in chapters 12, 13, and 14 we talked about things that are coming. It didn’t move the time along but it talked about things that will be happening from the middle on. If you’d put up the “Major Events of the Tribulation” chart to remind you of the sequence of judgments we have, these are the events that move the timeline along in the Book of Revelation.

We started out in chapter six with the seven seals and every time a seal (it looks like a scroll) and every time a seal was broken and the scroll was unfolded further, a judgment was poured out on the earth. Out of the seventh trumpet, and this is important, out of the seven seals come the seven trumpets, so the seven-sealed scroll contains everything and the seven trumpets come out of the seventh seal. The seven bowls, which will come out over here, come out of the seventh trumpet, so that’s how things move along, and that’s why they’re all contained in this seven-sealed scroll, so we have the seventh trumpet but then we have a pause.

Turn back to chapter 11 in the Book of Revelation and verse 15. You see here the seventh angel sounded and that was the sounding of this seventh trumpet. We’ve already had the seven seals and then we come to the seventh trumpet. Every time a trumpet was blown, a judgment was poured out. Out of the seventh trumpet will come the seven bowls but we took a pause, because the seven bowls won’t be poured out until we get to chapter 16.

Chapter 15 will be a preparation for that, so what the intervening chapters did when the trumpet was sounded, was like you put the pause on and then the events were filled in that are going to be taking place, particularly that begin about the middle and then run through the last half. We saw for example war in heaven, with the devil and Michael the Archangel and the devil cast out of heaven. The chapter opened up with a focus on Israel and their place in God’s plan. Chapter 13 talked about the rise of the Antichrist who will come to full power here, in the middle, and rule over the last 3½ years, events that are not particularly covered in this particular bowl judgment.

Now we are ready to pick up with the flow of the book again. We have a preliminary introduction to what is going to take place. These last 3½ years, they’re very significant. You see what happened during the first 3½ years. You had two series of judgments, the seals and the trumpets, then we had the break that took place over the 3½ years. Here we’re going to have seven bowl judgments but they’re to be spread out over 3½ years, but this will be the worst time the world has ever seen, so terrible that Jesus said that If He did not return here at the end, there wouldn’t be a person left alive on the face of the earth. That includes believers because Jesus said that the reason He comes at this point was to rescue the elect because the judgments on the world by God are making it unlivable so that no one would be able to live if the judgments weren’t brought to an end after the seven years. That’s a little bit of the flow, just a little bit of a reminder.

We’re coming to chapter 15 and in chapter 15; the first verse is an introduction to what’s taking place. Then you’ll have two visions, verses 2 to 4 have to do with the response of heaven to what’s happening and verses 5 to 8 you have the seven angels who will be the instruments used in bringing judgment on the earth. Then we’ll have the bowl judgments poured out, and just like every time a seal was broken, a judgment was poured out on the earth, every time a trumpet sounded, God poured out a judgment on the earth.

When we get to the bowls in chapter 16 every time a bowl is turned over—just like if you have a bowl of cereal you turn it over you dump the contents out. Well the contents of the bowls will be judgments, dumped out on the earth but chapter 15 is an introduction to these coming judgments. This is true, every time we have moved into a series of judgments.

Before the seal judgments began, we will have a vision that takes place in heaven. We had that. Before the trumpet judgments begin, we had a heavenly scene; again, we’re transported to heaven. That was to prepare the way, give you a sense of impending doom and judgment, what’s going on in heaven that leads to these judgments. Now that we’re getting ready here, chapter 15 will give us another heavenly scene to prepare us for the seriousness of these judgments.

Come back to chapter 4 of Revelation. Chapters 4 and 5 are a heavenly scene. You’ll note in verse 1 of chapter 4, “I looked, and behold a door standing open in heaven” and John is called to come up into heaven and chapters 4 and 5 contain that scene in heaven. Then when you come to chapter 6 verse 1, “the Lamb broke one of the seven seals” the judgment began. So chapters 4 and 5 prepare for the awesomeness and it’s the most extensive heavenly scene preceding the judgments because remember out of the seventh seal will come all the other judgments, so in a way this heavenly scene prepares you not only for the seal judgments but gives you some sense of preparation for the rest of the judgments.

Then when you came to chapter 8 in verse 1, “the Lamb broke the seventh seal.” Well out of the seventh seal, what the judgment’s going to be are the seven trumpets so then you have that pause of the angels with the seven trumpets. They stand before God then you have that heavenly scene in verses 3, 4, and 5 and then you have the trumpets. Now when you come over to chapter 16, we’ll have verse 2 “the first angel poured out his bowl.”

Chapter 15 is the heavenly scene to prepare us and give us a sense of the seriousness and awesomeness of what is about to transpire, so verse 1 summarizes that for us of chapter 15. “Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had the seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.” John says he saw another sign. This is the third sign that he sees.

Come back to chapter 12 look at verse 1. “A great sign appeared in heaven.” That’s the first that is identified that way and the sign is picturing the nation Israel. We looked at the details of that; Genesis 37 gave us the background. The same description is given to Joseph in his dream of his parents, his father being Jacob. It is Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and then the sons of Jacob that form the 12 tribes of Israel, so the first sign was Israel.

Then verse 3 there is “another sign” and that was “the great dragon.” The devil because he is about to lose his war in heaven and be cast to the earth, which marks the middle of that seven year tribulation and why things from the spiritual side are going to get so much worse. Particularly for the nation Israel that was just presented to us because Satan will realize when that happens, the end is coming up quickly, and if he does not destroy Israel there will be a kingdom, so that’s behind everything that is going on, that’s always Satan’s masterplan. Destroy the Jews, because if there is no Jewish nation, there can be no Jewish kingdom. If there is no Jewish kingdom, God has failed and Satan views it as his win. We know that can’t happen but that’s the context here.

Now we have this third sign and it ties to that, because the very thing that Satan is fighting against and we saw that in chapter 13 where he brought his man to power, to rule the world, and then the second beast in chapter 13, the religious leader who will direct all worship of the world to the Antichrist. Now chapter 15 opens up and there’s “another sign in heaven” and this will bring to a conclusion verse one, “in them” these last plagues that we’ll talk about in a moment, “the wrath of God is finished.” Brought to completion. This will bring to its appointed end the judgment of God on an unbelieving world, and that will culminate in an eternal hell (at the end of chapter 20) but these judgments are poured out to destroy an unbelieving world and the inhabitants of this earth. It will finish, bring to completion.

There’s another verse, I want to connect you to in chapter 10. Chapter 10 and you’ll note what is pictured here, this is where the angel in verses 5 and 6 stands and declares to all creation, “there will be delay no longer” time has run out. We are now ready for the final phase of God’s wrath and that’s why we have this interlude in the subsequent chapters but you’ll note verse seven, “in the days of the voice of the seventh angel”—this is the sounding of the seventh trumpet. “When he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished.”

That’s the same word you have at the end of chapter 15 verse 1--and then “the wrath of God is finished,” brought to its completion so in chapter 10 verse 7 “the mystery of God is finished,” brought to its completion, “as He preached to His servants the prophets.” All the prophesies about God’s coming judgment, not only on Israel but also on the unbelieving world and the establishing of an eternal kingdom ruled by His Son, all that will be brought to its appointed completion and fulfillment.

So it’s announced in connection with the sounding of the seventh trumpet because remember then in chapter 11 verse 15 “the seventh trumpet has sounded” but wait. We stop, we have to have the preview of coming events, and now we come to chapter 15 and we have this heavenly scene and you see how everything’s been building because how awesome is this.

The prophets of the Old Testament, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and all they prophesied, the wrath that God would pour out that would culminate in the turning of the nation to their Messiah and Savior and the establishing of a kingdom is about to take place. When that trumpet sounds and the contents of that trumpet then come out, we are on a timeline that cannot be stopped. There will be no more delay and as we’ll see, by the time we get to the end of chapter 15 there is no access to God to intervene, to delay or hold back any longer the judgments.

God’s judgment is now being held back, delayed. We’re told in 2 Peter 3 why no judgment on the world now in its ungodliness—because God is “patient not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to salvation in His Son,” so this is the time of God’s delayed wrath but now we’re looking into the future. There will be delay no longer. We’re done with the interlude. Now we’re ready for the contents of the seventh trumpet and it’s so awesome.

John sees “another sign in heaven,” chapter 15 verse 1. It’s “great and marvelous.” We get the word “mega” from this Greek word; we just rarely bring it over into English…a sign in heaven. Just saying that would be enough, but it’s not just a sign from heaven, this is a mega sign in heaven and not just a mega sign, it is a mega and marvelous sign. It gives you some sense of awe and wonder.

The “seven angels who had the seven plagues, which are the last” and this indicates to us we are in a sequence, because when we get to these last, these seven, these are the last. It indicates they follow the preceding ones. As serious as they were, they weren’t the last but these are the last. That’s why in connection with the sounding of the seventh trumpet the angel declared, “Time will be no more.” Time has run out. There will be no delay.

This is like when this comes, there will be one unfolding judgment after another but they’ll take place over 3½ years. Important to keep that in mind because as we read it, it says, “bang, bang, bang” but it’s going to take 3½ years and you realize if this is going to be going on, piled on—keep in mind half the earth has already died in the judgments of the seals and the trumpets. We’re in the billions and now it’s really going to get bad, so heaven is prepared.

“Seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last,” because “in them the wrath of God is finished.” I want you to pick up something with the seven plagues. We’ll wait until we get down to the song of Moses but when you hear the word, “plague” what do you think of? Well if you’re familiar with the Old Testament, you think of God’s plagues on the nation of Egypt, because His people were enslaved there, under the control and domination of the Egyptians, but what did God do? He poured out His judgments and wrath on the Egyptians, with the plagues, so don’t think of the plagues just limited to some kind of physical affliction like the boils or the sores. They could be anything.

The plagues are judgments and there is a connection because when we get down to verse 3 we’ll see “singing in heaven” and they’re “singing the song of Moses.” We’ll go back there then, so there’s a connection with what was pictured there as a result of God’s plagues on the nation Israel. They were delivered from bondage to their enemies, set free to go to the land of Canaan where He promised they could set up a kingdom. Now because of sin, there will be delays and the ultimate kingdom has not yet been realized because of the sin of Israel but the picture is there.

These plagues will bring about God’s punishing judgment on the world and bring the nation Israel to the point of responding in faith to Him, and they will be delivered. Not by Moses but by the prophet greater then Moses, as Moses prophesized the coming of Christ who will rescue them from their enemies, so these seven plagues, these are the last because in them the wrath of God is finished. Now I want to say something.

People don’t study the Book of Revelation often because they don’t interpret it literally, so it’s a book of confusion. Another reason people aren’t as comfortable with the Book of Revelation—if it was a book about God’s love and the pouring out of God’s love and just talk about—people would find a way to study it but you know it’s a book about wrath. It’s a book about God’s wrath and only we, as believers, understand this because we sometimes feel almost apologetic if we’re going to talk about sin and God’s wrath and I don’t want to give people the wrong idea about God but you’d better give them the right idea.

He is a God of wrath but what is difficult about the Book of Revelation, it is a book of wrath. Like I said, over half the earth’s population has already died and now things are going to get bad and we talk about disasters that happen in the world. We’ve never had a disaster like this. Three and a half billion people, if the earth’s population is 7 billion, have already died. More than that really, but we’ll use that figure. Now, that’s why Jesus said, “If He didn’t intervene and cut it off after this second 3½ years, nobody could survive.” We have depopulated the earth. God’s wrath is real and don’t let anybody tell you God’s wrath is finished. This is serious, serious, business. This wrath will come from God. We’ll see that emphasized again and again. It is God’s wrath.

All right, look at verse two. “I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God.” This sea of glass, this is around the throne of God and in that, sense, puts a distance between Him and His creation. It’s a sea as it’s described here. It’s like a sea of glass and we still use that terminology. We’ll look at a lake when everything’s still and we’ll say, “It’s like a sheet of glass.” That’s the picture, that’s what’s looked at here.

We saw this first—come back to chapter 4 and verse 5. “Out from the throne come flashes of lightning, sounds and peals of thunder.” You know God throne is not a throne only of mercy it is a throne of judgment. We have this awesomeness, we have the fire in chapter 15. Here we have lightning, thunder. This is an awesome scene, and it’s coming out from the throne and he’s described the One sitting on the throne. This is God the Father and you come down, “there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne. These are the seven Spirits of God; before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; in the center and around the throne, four living creatures” and he describes the creatures.

Now keep in mind, before we’re done with chapter 15, we’ll see these four living creatures again. They serve in the closest proximity to the throne of God and they act to give forth what God intends for His creation from the throne. They’ll pass on, as we’ll see in chapter 15, the judgments from God on the throne, to the seven angels who will be sent to distribute the judgments on the earth, so this is that sea of glass around the throne and these beings created to serve in the very presence of God. We noted, sometimes identified with cherubim like in chapter 10 of Ezekiel. They’re very similar to the “seraphim” in Isaiah chapter 6 “who constantly cry out before the throne ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD God Almighty.’”

Come back to chapter 15, so now we’re before the very throne of God in heaven and there’s a sea of glass. There are those there standing on this, which looks like a sea; it’s a sea of glass. It’s hard enough to stand on. There are these beings standing on it. Who are they? “Those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name. They’re standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God” and then in verse 3 “they’ll be singing a combination of two songs.” Who are they? Well we’re told, those who were victorious. That came out of chapter 13 particularly, with the Antichrist, and the false prophet and their persecution of the Jews. Satan at the end of chapter 12 where he goes out with a great rage when he loses his conflict in heaven to try to destroy the Jews, because Satan wants to destroy every Jew.

Just an aside, I saw something yesterday, a little bit of it on like the history channel. They were talking about Hitler and the Jews, and the extermination of the Jews. Some of you may have seen it. It’s been on before, but just the awful horribleness and the man showing it can’t believe that people would do this, and again I’ve shared with you, it just amazes me. Germany is losing the war and the Russians are coming in, the allies are coming in and Hitler is obsessed with getting the trains to carry more Jews to the gas chambers. Even the people serving thought the trains ought to be used to transport war material and soldiers and it makes no sense.

I want more transport of the Jews to the chambers because you understand; Satan’s goal is, I have to get rid of the Jews, because if there are no Jews, there’s no kingdom. If there’s no kingdom, God lied, He loses. He’s not the God who cannot lie. It seems like a fairy tale but that’s real and that’s what’s going on behind the scene, so these who have been victorious came out of like the end of chapter 12 into chapter 13. They’ve died, they’ve been martyred, they refused to bow. They didn’t lose. You ought to underline that word, that word, “had been victorious.” They didn’t lose. The people who were killing them, terrible deaths, making them suffer so much, so that it looks like, we’re winning, we’re winning.

No, these who gave their lives were the victors. It’s how you end up that determines whether you win or lose. Whether you spend eternity in heaven or hell determines whether you had victory or no victory, but Jesus said, “that determines whether you had wealth or not.” The man who stored up riches for here and died without being prepared to meet God was a fool. “Jesus said, ‘You fool! This night your soul will be required of you,’” and you have no preparation to meet the God who’s the Judge of all men, so that picture here.

They had been victorious over the beast, his image, the number of his name. They’re standing in the very presence of God, celebrating, giving praise to God. It puts this life in perspective. Oh, it cost them so much. Oh, they gave up so much. Oh, they suffered so much. They’re not before the throne of God singing about their suffering. They’re singing about the greatness of the God they serve, whose salvation is always sure for those who trust Him. They’re standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God.

There’ll be musical instruments in heaven and we see that in other passages but interesting, there’s only two musical instruments mentioned in the Book of Revelation. This might be a test you give to one of your classes. What are they? Well, the harps and the trumpets. Those are the only two musical instruments mentioned in the Book of Revelation. That doesn’t mean--now don’t get carried away, don’t go out and say, you know Gil said, “There’s only two instruments allowed in our worship service.” No, and we find instruments mentioned in the Old Testament connected with the worship of God and so on, tambourines and as Miriam the sister of Moses and Aaron, danced in leading the praise there and that was just a trivia that—no extra charge.

“They’re singing” verse 3, “the song of Moses, the bondservant, the slave of God, and the song of the Lamb.” Now they’re standing here before the presence of God and they have harps accompanying them. The song’s being sung and what a place to be. This is the sea of glass that is around the throne of God. The only ones closer are the four living beings who serve there at the throne continuously and they’re there in the very presence of God with their praise. They’re the victors, they’re singing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb.

They go back to the song of Moses, I think talking about Exodus chapter 15, which Moses sang following the deliverance from Egypt and then the song of the Lamb, which we’ve had earlier in Revelation. You put those two together because what happened there at Egypt, in God pouring out His wrath on the Egyptians with His judgments, the plagues, resulted in their deliverance, and that’s what’s going to happen as a result of these final plagues. Jesus will come and Israel will be delivered, the kingdom will be established and so on.

Come back to Exodus 15. I was going to read these before but we’ll come back to Exodus 15 first, and Exodus 15 the plagues have destroyed Egypt, and remember even the counselors to Pharaoh said to him, “Do you not know Egypt has been destroyed?” You’ve got to let the Jews go, Egypt is destroyed, but you know the account. Pharaoh chased after the Jews, they went through the sea. Israel went through on dry land, the Egyptians follow in and the waters wash over them and verse 30 of chapter 14 of Exodus. “Thus, the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.”

When Israel saw the great power, which the LORD had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD, they believed in the LORD and in His servant Moses. Now you see where this is going, when the wrath of God is finished, we see this when we get down there, Israel will be proclaiming as Zechariah said, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD” and these last plagues on the world and the world in persecution of the Jews as the focal point. The end result will be the Jews have seen the great power of God and they will fear the Lord, and believe in the Lord and in His Servant, but it won’t be Moses then, it will be their Messiah.

That’s the picture there and so when you read about those plagues they remind you--just look at some of the things here and I’m going to skip. I’ll skip the ones that talk about the destruction of the Egyptians just so we get the content of what really connects to the abbreviated song we have presented in Revelation. After you see verse 1, “I will sing to the LORD, for He is high and exalted” because He’s hurled the Egyptians into the sea. Verse 2 “The LORD is my strength and song; He has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise Him; my father’s God, and I will extol Him.” “The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is His name.”

They recognize it has been the Lord that has fought on our behalf it is the Lord who has destroyed our enemies, and he talks about those enemies. Then verse 6 “Your right hand, O LORD, is majestic in power. Your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy. In the greatness of Your excellence, You overthrow those who rise up against You. You send forth Your burning anger, and it consumes them as chaff.” Then he gives examples from the destruction of the Egyptians.

Then you come down to verse 11, “Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders? Again, it is from Him that came the destruction of the enemy.” Verse 13, “In Your lovingkindness You have led the people whom You have redeemed. In Your strength You have guided them to Your holy habitation.” and come down to verse 18 to summarize it. “The Lord shall reign forever and ever.” That’s what they are singing. We get the abbreviated version back in Revelation 15.

Come and stop at Revelation chapter 4 and in 4 and 5 we have the heavenly scene and you see what they’re celebrating just out of chapter 4 verse 8. What they’re declaring, “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS, WHO IS WHO IS TO COME.” Verse 11, “Worthy are You our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For You created all things, because of Your will they existed, and were created.” There they’re praising God the Father.

When we come in to chapter 5 the Lamb is presented as the One who has authority over all creation and can bring it to its appointed finish, completion, because He provided redemption so it all doesn’t have to perish because of sin under the wrath of God, so here the song of the Lamb, He’s the only One worthy. Down in verse 9, “they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are You to take the book and break its seals.’” Why? “You were slain, purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You’ve made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; they will reign on the earth.”

That’s similar to where Moses, we stopped with Moses promising an eternal kingdom. Verse 12, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might, honor and glory and blessing.” Verse 13, “To Him who sits on the throne, to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory, dominion forever and ever.”

Come back to chapter 15. We put these two songs together and here we have an abbreviation of what they’re singing. “Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty,” and that word in Greek is just like we have here. It’s the word “all” and the word “mighty,” pantokratos, the Pantokratos is the Almighty. All might, all power is His. Any power that exists anywhere is a subject power and it comes from Him by delegation but He is the One with all power. “O Lord God, the Almighty. Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! Who will not fear O Lord, and glorify Your name?” Then three reasons, “For You alone are holy. For all the nations will come and worship before you. For your righteous acts have been revealed.”

Note a couple of things about the singing that goes on in heaven. There’s no self here. They’re not singing “now Lord, for we have served You faithfully, for Lord we have given our lives as a testimony for You. For Lord we made such an impact for Christ. We don’t sing about ourselves in heaven. We sing about Him who is worthy of all the honor. What are we but hell deserving sinners apart from the grace of God?” Like Paul would say, “I am what I am by the grace of God.” We sing of the God who is so marvelous, whose works are so marvelous who is the Lord God with all power. He’s righteous and holy.

Now you want to note here too there is no apology for God’s wrath. God’s wrath is a manifestation of God’s holiness. People today have no concept of sin and its seriousness and deserving of the wrath of God because they have no concept of God’s holiness. They’ve created God to be just a good guy. The grandfatherly figure that understands and overlooks all our troubles. You know being a grandfather and now a great grandfather you know, I love the grandkids and when they do something wrong I say, “Oh, that’s not so bad.” Now with my kids I said, “You’d better stop it or you’ll get what you deserve.” My grandkids aren’t so bad, and that’s the way, they look at God. Ah, you know, I know God’s in charge.

We need to understand, He is holy, He is righteous He is true. The reason you and I can come before Him is because He has provided a Redeemer. You don’t come before God without that Redeemer. “Jesus said, ‘No man comes to the Father but by Me.’” That’s why earlier in our study of Revelation we said, all worship apart from the worship founded in Jesus Christ and His work is worship of the devil. Nobody’s prayers come before God for an answer from Him. He’s not just sitting there, “oh, please come, bring your request to Me please, please.” We have to recognize who He is. We don’t apologize for God. We don’t try to soften it down.

People have to understand, you are lost on your way to an eternal hell but I’m telling you this not because I’m better than you, but one I day I was just like you and then I heard the message I’m telling you, and by God’s grace I believed it and He did something marvelous. I can hardly explain. He forgave me; He cleansed me, He caused me to be made new. That’s what we have to tell people. They’re under the wrath of God. This is serious business. You are going to hell. This is not a game and we don’t accurately represent it. It doesn’t mean you have to run up to somebody, the first thing you say is you’re going to hell. You’re going to hell. Obviously, we want to address that we understand, they don’t know their condition but we don’t want to soft pedal truth.

They need to hear about the Savior because they are just that lost, so they’re singing about God, praising Him when we’ve just been told, His wrath, this is the context. His wrath is about to reach its fullest level in the destruction of this world. Only hell will be more final and they’re celebrating, praising God, rejoicing. “Your righteous acts have been revealed,” at the end of verse 4, “and the nations will come and worship before You.” Now you understand that hasn’t yet been revealed. All they’ve talked about so far—we haven’t had it all unfolded yet—we won’t be until chapter 20. We know that there is a thousand years that will precede and be the first part of the eternal kingdom but both in that thousand years and in the eternal phase we’ll see the nations coming and worshiping before Him in an eternal kingdom, so that’s the celebration in heaven.

Now we get details as the seven angels come before the throne, the four living beings around the throne, give each of those angels a golden bowl and the golden bowl, it comes from the presence of God. These judgments come from the presence of God. It’s not Mother Nature. It’s not other things. This is God’s judgment. Sometimes He uses human beings. He used Adolph Hitler in his vileness in bringing judgment on the nation Israel. He will use the Antichrist to bring withering judgment on the nation Israel. It’s the reality. That doesn’t excuse the sin of a Hitler or the sin of the Antichrist but God uses their sin, just like He did Pharaoh. I raised you up for this purpose because in you I manifest the greatness of My power. He’s a sovereign God so we’re ready to look into heaven.

Look at verse 5, further into heaven but the angels now ready to carry out the bidding. “After these things, I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened.” The temple of the tabernacle of the testimony carries us back to the Old Testament tabernacle. In it, there was the Ark of the Covenant. In the Ark of the Covenant were the two tablets of stone with the Ten Commandments summarizing the Mosaic Covenant, which governed the conduct of the nation Israel and then over it the mercy seat and the presence of God is manifested and the wings of the cherubim.

So what it pictured here—we’re now in the very presence of God and that emphasis, it’s from the throne of God these judgments come. “These things I looked, the temple of the tabernacle in heaven was opened. The seven angels who had the seven plagues”—we were introduced to them in verse 1 and we let them go because we had to talk about the song that was being sung by those who were victorious and those who will be victorious share the same glory as future, so we move through the rest of the Tribulation.

“The seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, clothed in linen, clean and bright, girded around their chests with golden sashes. One of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels, seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever” and a reminder. This is the eternal God--forever and ever. You can’t minimize it. We saw it back in chapter 14 verse 11, “the torments of hell go on,” verse 11 of chapter 14, “forever and ever,” to the ages of the ages unendingly and God’s wrath poured out on an unbelieving world will culminate with the unending torment of hell at the great white throne at the end of Revelation chapter 20. Revelation carrying us--two lines, to the destiny of the unredeemed and the destiny of those by God’s grace redeemed. Two contrasting destinies. We’ll see more of that as we move along.

These angels come out from the presence of God. They receive the judgments; they’re in golden bowls. Not, well, these are judgments that’s not consistent with the character of God. No, these come from the character of God. This is His wrath. Wrath is not contrary to His holiness, to His love and so on, it’s part of it because everything contrary to His holiness, His righteousness, and so on must be judged. By God’s grace Christ came and stood in our place, propitiated (turned the wrath of God away from us) so that we might be forgiven and made new, and the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power.

Awesome scene and its here now as happened sometime in the Old Testament where the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Nobody could come in. Moses couldn’t come in. God’s presence is so fully manifested, the glory of God, His power; no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. This is awesome. No one can enter the temple. There’ll be no change. Remember we read, there will be delay no longer, no more time, run out.

Well maybe someone will intervene. Remember at times God said, “I’m going to destroy Israel” and Moses interceded. No intercession occurs now. These judgments will happen without break until the return of Christ. Something like the world has never seen. No prayers for deliverance, I guess, although there will be people saved, so in that sense, God’s grace in salvation will be manifest, but there will be no relenting of the judgment, and those who do believe in Christ during this time by His grace—many of them will suffer terribly. That’s why we had to have 144,000 sealed and be reminded in chapter 14 that they make it through all seven years, a 144,000 Jewish men. There will be a remnant for the nation.

There will be people saved from the Gentile nations and survive but it will be a devastated world. The point is, nothing enters in, there is no break in the judgment, there’s no relenting of the judgment, there’s no holding back the judgment. No one can enter until this is done, so that connects with what we read earlier. Time has run out. There will be delay no longer.

With that, the instructions will be given to the angels who received the golden bowls. In verse 1, “Go pour them out,” and each angel, they’ll be mentioned quickly, like verse 2, “the first angel,” verse 3 “the second angel,” verse 4 “the third angel.” We’re not told if these are just going to be piled on one another and going on through the last 3½ years. We have 3½ years, these judgments poured out one on another and we’ll work through them, then we’ll get details of the destruction in verses 17 and 18 of the religious system and the political and commercial system in chapter 18 and then heaven will open in chapter 19 with the return of Christ.

Let me just walk through a few summary points with you.

Number 1. God’s wrath will be fully poured out on the earth. (v. 1)
There is no way to stop the completion of God’s wrath. Now we live in a day of God’s patience. God is patient. This is a day when the fullness of the Gentiles is described in Romans 11. Primarily Gentiles are experiencing the saving grace of God provided in Christ. He is withholding judgment. Don’t think that judgment withheld is judgment cancelled. Unbelievers say that everything has continued in the world since it began. They have an evolutionary explanation.

People have been talking about the end of the world and disasters—it’s coming. You can deny it, but you cannot prevent it. You can deny it, but you can’t delay it. We’re right on God’s schedule. Why hasn’t His patience run out? Think about it, it’s been 2,000 years since Christ was crucified. All that’s gone on, rebellion and rejection but we’re moving on God’s schedule and I think there is reason to believe we are moving closer. We’ll talk more about that as we move further into the end of Revelation.

Number 2. Faithfulness to Christ concludes in victory. (v.2)
That was, verse 2 with these martyred saints out of the tribulation that didn’t worship the beast. As a reminder, we sing the song, “It will be worth it all when we see Jesus.” That’s true; you know we get caught up with the difficulties, the trials, what’s happening. Remember, the victory is ours. It’s guaranteed, it’s sealed. Our treasure is reserved in heaven along with the others who belong to Jesus Christ, so it’s an encouragement to us here. Stay faithful. Down through church history since John penned these words of God there would be encouragements to believers going through their trials. Even the worst of times and the worst of suffering, those believers end up in victory and that will be true for us.

Number 3. The Almighty God is the One to be honored and exalted.
You know we’ve gone through and there’s still remnants of it go around about self-esteem for us. The world lives there. You see the mess they create and Christians get to—it’s not about me it’s not about you. It’s about the God we serve. You know, in verse 3 Moses is called the bondservant. That word is the Greek word, doulos. It’s the slave. It’s the slave of God. Remember our lives are not our own, we’ve been bought with a price, so I belong to Him and He chooses what to do with me. Now I get the idea slaves shouldn’t be jockeying for position and prominence. Slaves shouldn’t be looking for being honored.

No, you say, “Well, you know, how do you want to be remembered?” Well I don’t know the people ought to be remembering me. Aren’t you concerned about your legacy? The world we live in is concerned about legacy. What’s a legacy? What do you want to leave be behind? If you’re faithful to Christ, He used you in lives and the people in whose lives you were used, remember Christ, and think about Him and you say, Oh, I forgot all about Him. Why, who are we? We’re slaves in the house of the Master. He’s the One to be honored.

Number 4. God’s judgment comes from His righteous and holy character. I don’t want to apologize for God. I’m not thinking, oh, if we have unbelievers come to this service, I hope it’s not a sermon about hell. I hope we’re not talking about sin, and judgment and guilt. You know one of the popular preachers says the world hears enough, has enough problems, hears enough about sin. I just want to talk about positive things. Yeah, that’s because he represents the devil and that’s what the devil wants him to talk about, we talk about a God who is holy, righteous and just and yet amazingly He offers mercy and grace to you and me and has provided His Son to be our Savior.

Number 5. There will come a time when judgment is irrevocable.
That’s true for this sinful world and that can be true for us as individuals. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Today is the day of salvation.” We don’t treat God as though, well I’m thinking about it. I’ll give You my answer here. He may not give you the opportunity tomorrow. God doesn’t have to give us the opportunity. He doesn’t have to bring us where we’ll hear the gospel. He doesn’t have to bring someone into our lives to tell us about Christ. I always think it’s dangerous when a person says, “Well, I’m going to think about it.”

I can’t make them believe but I want to extort them and tell them the seriousness of not. I mean, you may wake up tomorrow less interested than you were today. You might wake up tomorrow with other things on your mind and over time you might find out I’m not as interested in that as I thought I once was. It’s happened to people who have sat here for extended periods of time. It seems the time of God giving opportunity passes. I don’t know when that is. As long as you’re breathing I’d say, “Believe,” but I’d also say, “Don’t pass the opportunity you have today thinking you’ll do it tomorrow.” God determines the time and gives the opportunity and here time is running out for the world. This is a day of salvation. Believe today and you’re assured of tomorrow.

Let’s pray together: Thank you Lord for Your word Your grace in providing salvation. Lord Your grace in telling us about the future. Lord we know what only those you know you can know. You’re the God who knows the future. You’ve planned the future. You control the future and You have spoken so that we can understand, and know, and live in light of these truths. Lord I pray for any who are delaying. Perhaps they’ve grown up in a Christian home. Perhaps they have grown up in this church. Perhaps they have been baptized here. A lot of things could have gone on but they’ve never truly trusted Christ. Lord may they realize this is a day of opportunity. May we as Your children, as we carry the gospel remember that with those we come in contact with, our contact is to be a day of opportunity for those people we have contact with. May we be bold, loving and fearless as we share the gospel with those that we reach. We pray in Christ’s name. Amen.




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